My Motorcycle Diary

[Ms Piggy]

My journal entry says:
“494kms!! Yahoo! Exhausted, hot, horny & tired! But also exhilarated and happy."

I had ridden from Akaroa to Fox Glacier. An amazing ride that I enjoyed thoroughly! Warren, Stevo, Kickaha & I all rode back from Akaroa that morning and decided to go over the ‘scenic route’, unfortunately it was very foggy and not that enjoyable. It was a pretty narrow road too but, I think it would have been a much nicer ride if it had been a sunny day (next time!).

Now I must also explain Warren’s pic of Kickaha & Stevo push starting Betty. We were riding up the road, Kickaha was the leader and turned up right but none of us realised. So we all went to turn around and I stalled (ahhhh bollocks!!), normally I can restart Betty (please note: she is only kick start) on hills sweet as but with the extra load (Not me! The gear!) she wasn’t gonna play fair and I flooded her and got exhausted and grumpy! Hence the push start!

Stevo farewelled me at Tai Tapu and Warren at the Hornby turnoff. Kickaha rode with me down the Old West Coast Rd and even let me ride the XJ for a while. Now I know why I want a BIGGER bike, I didn’t have to change gears for the slightest rise!

I said ‘bob-bye’ to Kickaha at the turnoff to Rangiora and carried on toward Arthurs Pass. Nice winding roads and a gradual change in the landscape from dry paddocks & rocky hills to lush green bush. The roads started of windy & hot but not as bad as when we rode the Lewis Pass, more nice sweepers and the Otira Gorge was great!!!! Very cool! Very pretty. Twisty & a little steep…16% according to the sign.

(I have posted a shorter version of the following story on the other thread) Now apparently there is a petrol pump at Arthurs Pass, the sign before you enter the township doesn’t state this but apparently there is. Kickaha had said to me when I fuelled up at Tai Tapu, “You’ll be right!” and I didn’t actually confirm with him if he meant I’d make to Arthurs Pass or to Hokitika – he meant Arthurs Pass, where apparently there is a petrol pump.

So I’m riding along and I slowed a bit when I came into the village and only saw a Diesel pump, no I didn’t stop and ask, who does that and risks looking stupid, I’d much rather run out of petrol than look a fool…oh hang on….I thought as I crusied through, “Hmmmmm, okaaaaaaay, maybe there’s a petrol stop at Otira, yeah there must be cos Craig stayed there, ok I’ll just keep riding.” Oh dear. No petrol pump at Otira and no cell phone reception. “Shit, shit, shit! OMG! How embarrassing if I run out! OMG! Ok, I’ll just keep riding and see how far I get. How stupid could I be!?” So I kept riding and saw a bloke stopped on the side of the road who looked like a local. The most hilarious thing! It turned out to be Ken, Craig’s mate who had let me park Betty up on his property. There wasn’t much he could do but, it was very comforting to see a familiar face (I had started feeling a little weepy & fragile, I’m a girl so I’m allowed to!), he told me that the next petrol stop was at Kumara 20 minutes away. “Ok then Betty, we’ll just keep going”. I had flicked onto reserve at 162kms on the trip meter and still had no idea how big my reserve tank was (some people don’t learn do they!). So we quietly putted along the road doing around 70kms/hr at the most and coasting in some places. I kept thinking, any minute now, any minute now…when it ticked over to 200kms I thought ok, ok anytime soon….waiting, waiting and then…….

………..

……………….

Well fuck me! We made it!!! I had gone 226.8kms and when I filled up Betty took 11.89 litres. Btw, if ya wanna know, my tank takes 12.5 litres and has a 3 litre reserve (I finally looked it up!). So after a well earned pee and a BIG drink of water I noticed a motorbike inside the petrol station, it was a Ducati, a fairly old one (see pics), we couldn’t see what year it was but it was for sale and you can call Kumara Auto Services, 03-736-9827, if you wanna ask about it. I must say Kumara was a strange little place, it had that twilight zone feeling and I didn’t really wanna hang around. Across the road from the petrol station was a run down house with 2 dogs tied up outside, 1 was shaggy & barking madly and the other was skinny and wearing a dress (no really it was!).

When I hear this melody
This strange illusion takes over me
Through a tunnel of the mind
Perhaps a present or future time oh, oh
Out of nowhere comes this sound
This melody that keeps spinning 'round & 'round
Pyramidal locomotion
From a mystic unknown zone

Hearin' the twilight
Hearin' the twilight tone

Unpretentious girl from Memphis
Saw the future through her third eye
People came with skepticism
Picking, testing her precision, no, wo, oh, oh
Suddenly they heard this sound
This melody that keeps spinning 'round & 'round
A signpost up ahead is calling
Through the mystic unknown zone

Hearin' the twilight
Twilight swept away, feelin' the rhythm
Hearin' the twilight
Twilight swept away, ba da, loo da, ba da loo da
Hearin' the twilight
Twilight tone

Submitted for your approval. One Mr. Miller, who's about
to take a trip into oddness and obsolescene, through a
zone whose boundaries are that of imagination.
Accompanying him on this journey is the mesmerizing
sound of the Twilight Tone.

On a cold & rainy night
One Mister Miller had a rare flight
Glen was up there boppin' a rhythm
Then the engine stopped to listen with him
Play that beat, oh, oh
Suddenly he heard this sound
This melody that keeps spinning 'round & 'round
Now he resides and plays trombone
In the mystic unknown zone

Hearin' the twilight
(Ooooooh, twilight)
Hearin' the twilight
(Hearin' the twilight)


Ok I’ll stop now cos it’s freaking me out and I think I made it out of Kumara or maybe I’m still there! Well if I am still there in my mind I made my way to Hokitika where no one serves meals until 5pm and it was 4pm and I was STARVING!!!!! I did end up finding a café that had food for sale, thank god cos things were about to get ugly. Mad biker woman starving in a small town – not pretty at all. After Hokitika I made my way down the highway and managed to avoid all the frickin grit! That stuff is deadly! Beautiful ride & lotsa sharp bends, nice one! At Franz Jospeh I had to flick Betty onto reserve again at 162kms, I had actually just pulled over and she dies and I had a momentary panic thinking she may have died forever! I rode onto Fox Glacier safe in the knowledge that I could make it that much further and fill up in the morning. I ended up staying at a pub, a big white 1 that had hostel like facilities. The room was comfortable and tidy and the showers were fantastic! I was really quite tired so I went to the pub and had a quart of beer (I love how they serves those!) and then went back to my little room and to bed. I was a tired little biker girl.

[Ms Piggy]

Tired biker girl has had enough of typing.

[Blakamin]

thank you.... can't wait for more!!!!

how much was the bike????

[Motu]

That looks like a Ducati 450 Scrambler I think,from the early 70s....I almost bought one,they were $1450 or so,a bit steep really.

[Ms Piggy]

how much was the bike????

:spudwhat: You'll have to call them, there was no price on it.

[toads]

You are sooooo cool Cathy, this tale has me rivetted, keep it up.

[gav]

Great stuff, really well written! See if it was a bloke it would read:
"Rode motorbike around South Island, met some cool dudes, drunk some piss and went home"

[Fordy]

Great tale, rivetting read and pics

[Waylander]

Good ride. Glad to see you had fun. I can't wait till I can go on a good cruise then dazzle everyone with skills such as yours.

[Ms Piggy]

I woke at around 6am to the sound of rain, it had actually started raining during the night. I had already repacked most of my stuff the night before b/c I knew I had a long haul today – Fox Glacier to Oamaru with a detour to Waimate.

Breakfast and fuel.

While stopped at the petrol station I got talking to a couple of American tourists, the 1st guy was saying that his buddy thought they should get petrol now & not risk it as they were driving to Queenstown, he joked that his buddy didn’t want to have to walk the last 20 miles. I said “Sheesh some people are so lazy!” and 2nd guy said “Yeah well otherwise I might have to flag down some cute biker chick to give me a ride.” Hah hah! I wish! He also mentioned he’d just got his motorbike license so I encouraged him and said he’d love it – damn having no room on the bike!

So as I said it was raining and kept raining and got heavier, despite the rain the ride was fantastic and the scenery gorgeous, hardly any traffic either – except for an inconsiderate driver who had a line of 5 vehicles behind him/her and wouldn’t pull over. Yay for straight bits of road and an ability to pass! One of the sights I saw a lot on the West Coast, that really made me smile, was Wood Pigeons swooping up and dropping back down into the trees, it was a great sight!

As I rode the rain did eventually stop as the landscape changed from West Coast lushness to dry barren Central Otago. By the time I stopped in Wanaka I was a bit cold though but, it was warm and sunny there! More contrasts! I had a yummy lunch and spread all my clothes out and then went and sat on the water front for a while with them (see pic) and me lying in the sun drying out.

I fuelled up in Wanaka and headed toward another road on my list – The Lindis Pass! Ohhhhhh what a fantastic piece of countryside! Honestly during my ride I had some incredibly breath taking moments b/c of the beauty of the landscape before me. The Lindis Pass has a barrenness about it that is difficult to describe, so I won’t try, just go and ride it! Apart from getting stuck behind a twat in a Subaru that was in la la land driving at 70 kms/hr, oh and having to avoid tourists wandering across the road at the Lindis Pass Summit, it was fabulous!

I fuelled up again in Omarama and it was quite surreal b/c a whole lot of memories started coming back from when I used to work up in that area as part of a road gang. It was a fabulous ride through to Kurow, no traffic at all! The road between Omarama and Kurow (SHW 83) is lovely & sweepy and I got a fabulous view of the lakes, one of my favourite views in when I rode up the hill just before you come down to Otematata, when you are at the top there is a spectacular view over the lakes. Oooo pretty!

I turned off at Kurow onto SHW 82, partly b/c the road from Kurow to Oamaru is straight & boring but, also b/c I had an old friend to visit who lives in Waimate (Peter). The road between Kurow and Waimate is quite a nice one with a few nice corners & 1 really sharp bend through a little village, more memories flooding back as I had worked up and down this road also, mind you these memories mostly consisted of shovelling grit off the back of a truck in the middle of Winter! It was good to catch up with Peter and share out love of bikes! Heh heh. He showed me his ole Guzzi, 1972, affectionately known as “The White Whale” (sorry no pics) and I also got to meet the 2 kids he and his wife had produced since I had last seen him, in fact Peter had got married since I’d last seen him!

From there a quick, short ride to Oamaru to stay with some other dear friends I used to board with (Sandra & Lewis) when they had all 7 of their kids still living at home, in fact I first met Sandra and Lewis when they only had 5 kids and now their oldest is a Father now! Cripes does that make me feel old!

When I arrived they were all so happy to see me but, I warned them before hugging ensued that I would stink a bit b/c I had been riding all day and got wet and then dry and also had ridden behind a couple of sheep trucks. I still got hugs but, they did agree I really needed a shower! After all I had just ridden 542kms! Peeeeeuuuuuuww!

[Ms Piggy]

Had a fabulous sleep in a teenaged girls room, walls plastered in pics of cute boys and other teen stuff. I got up in time to say goodbye to daughters # 5, 6 & 7 and son # 4 as well as Lewis (Father #1). Then Sandra and I lounged around for ages, drinking coffee & chatting. By the time I left Lewis had come back home for lunch, so I got to farewell both Sandra and Lewis before heading off again.

On my way to Dunedin I also stopped in and visited and old next door neighbour and school friend living in Maheno (Sheree), since I last saw her she had, had 2 sons and her & her husband had a fantastic rural life.

By the time I left Sheree’s I just wanted to get to Dunedin to see my sister and 2 beautiful nieces! There was quite a bit of traffic on the road but it was still a great ride! I love that stretch of road by the coast before you reach Shag Point (yes it’s really called that) b/c you can see out to the ocean and on a sunny day it’s gorgeous (gee I use that word a lot)! Kind of rode with another biker as far as Palmerston, which was nice. I arrived in Dunedin about 3 to lots of hugs & kisses from the whanau – great to see them!

[Ms Piggy]

No riding at all, lots of shopping though. But, I did get a phone call at 8am from a certain KBer that goes by the name of Scum Dog. No worries, he just wanted to make sure he didn’t miss me while I was down!

[Ms Piggy]

The big ride South to Balclutha and meet Scum Dog, Chrissie Bimbo & Jantar. A warm welcome ensured for Lulu and myself. I’ve already written up about this already but there is no harm in repetition. Lulu (my big sister) has a XR250 but hadn’t ridden for the last 3 months so we had a little troubles starting it and it also stalled a couple of times on our way.
So once we had sat around at SD’s for a while coffeeing, toileting and chatting we decided that riding to Kaka Point would be a good idea. It was! Although the road was a little windy it was a nice little ride. Lunch was had at the local café/bar and lots of story telling and laughter saw the afternoon on. Thanks for the great company! (SD has taken some pics)

We rode back though to Balclutha and Lulu decided to head back to Dunedin (I had also forgotten how exhausting riding can be when you don’t ride a lot and so was initially surprised that Lulu was ready to go home after our ride out to Kaka Point), SD & CB decided to head home and Jantar and I decided to go for a bit of a ride up to Beaumont and round back to Lawrence for a coffee.

Thanks Jantar! It was a really nice ride on a road with hardly any traffic, oh apart from your neighbour in the van that wasn’t going to let us pass! The most hilarious thing I saw on our ride was a whole paddock of sheep sitting or lying down, it might sound silly but I have honestly never seen sheep lie down like horses do before – ok now my work colleague is looking at me like I’m really stupid….

After our coffee in Lawrence I headed back to Dunedin, as I was putting my gear on t leave, after saying ‘Goodbye’ to Jantar I noticed a woman crossing the street smiling at me. She came over and asked me about how long I’d been riding and told me she had a bike she had spent quite a bit of money on but she didn’t ride a lot and didn’t have the confidence, we had a really good natter and I really encouraged her just to get out there, take her time and ride. She mentioned that her partner had a Norton that wasn’t going, I strongly recommended she start riding more regularly and then he might get more motivated once he sees that’s she’s off having fun!

My ride back to Dunedin was pretty uneventful but a bit windy & I had a light drizzle.

[Ms Piggy]

Today was just a straight ride up SHW 1 (yawn). It was raining a little when I left Dunedin. No worries thought I, it’ll pass. How wrong could I be!!! I stopped in Oamaru to fuel up and get a hot chocolate (the ones they sell at Shell are really yummy & hot). I stopped in Timaru for lunch, I tried not to drip all over the place when I had my lunch, kinda tricky though. I stopped again in Ashburton to fuel up Betty & myself. No absolute lunatics on the road and the truckies were considerate about moving over. I learnt really quickly to move over as far left as I could when a truck drove past going the other way, otherwise I’d get a whoosh of water & wind all over me! I finally arrived at my cousins (in time for the Bridal Shower). I was too wet for anyone to even try & hug me! Hot shower, hot coffee, more hugs & kisses from rellies – all good! I was also amazed I had managed to make it through Christchurch City without getting lost in the myriad of roads & flatness.

[Ms Piggy]

No riding b/c the wedding was today & got my hair done and was wearing a posh frock, so there was no way I was wearing a helmet!

The groom cried…twice! Which made me cry! Oh sooooooooooo romantic!!!

[edit: I've added a couple of wedding pics, the first is the happy couple & the 2nd is some of da family (see if you can pick me!).]